Daily Archives: February 8, 2022

2022-02-08: News Headlines

Dave DeCamp (2022-02-08). Biden, Germany's Scholz Try to Show United Front Amid Ukraine Tensions. news.antiwar.com President Biden met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in Washington on Monday as the two leaders tried to show a united front amid heightened tensions with Russia over Ukraine. | Germany has not been as eager to stoke conflict between Ukraine and Russia as some of its NATO allies and is not sending weapons to Kyiv, Berlin has cited historical reasons as to why they don't want to send weapons that could be used in a war in Eastern Europe. Another…

WSWS (2022-02-08). Throughout his presidency and following the failed coup, Trump illegally burned, shredded and hid White House documents. wsws.org The Washington Post reveals that Trump stowed "multiple boxes" of White House documents at his Mar-a-Lago compound, which were only recovered last month.

Mark Gruenberg (2022-02-08). Construction union leaders hail Biden's pro-union executive order. peoplesworld.org

Staff (2022-02-08). Germany promises 'very tough sanctions' on Russia. rt.com If Moscow launches an invasion of Ukraine, it will be hit with "far-reaching" measures, Chancellor Scholz says | Russia will face serious consequences if it decides to launch a military incursion into Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz warned on Sunday, ahead of a trip to the US to meet President Joe Biden at the White House. | Speaking to German channel ARD, Scholz said that current Western efforts are aimed at ensuring there is no need to impose economic measures against Russia, but that a range of ideas had been discussed. | "We have very concrete preparations with our allies in the EU and the US. We ar…

Staff (2022-02-08). US Republicans send threatening letter to Biden over JCPOA. en.mehrnews.com A group of 33 Republican senators has warned US President Joe Biden they will work to thwart the implementation of any new Iran nuclear agreement if his government does not allow Congress to review and vote on its terms.

Staff (2022-02-08). Headlines for February 8, 2022. democracynow.org Biden Vows to Halt Russia-to-Germany Gas Pipeline If Russia Invades Ukraine, Several Democratic-Led States Announce Plans to Roll Back Mask Mandates, Biden Administration Tests Four-Legged Robotic "Dogs" on U.S.-Mexico Border, Costa Rican Presidential Candidates Appear Headed for April Runoff Election, Ex-Honduran President Added to U.S. List of Corrupt Officials over Drug Trafficking, Brazilian Antiracist Protesters Demand Justice for Immigrant Killed over Unpaid Wages, Supreme Court Will Allow Alabama's GOP-Gerrymandered Congressional Maps to Stand, Jill Biden Confirms Free Community College W…

WSWS (2022-02-08). BNSF railroad unions pen letter begging Biden administration to intervene against punitive new attendance policy. wsws.org The letter is an attempt to divert attention from the unions' own treachery and promote illusions in the same capitalist state, which is robbing BNSF workers of their right to strike and to free speech.

Binoy Kampmark (2022-02-08). Hemispheric gangsterism: The US embargo against Cuba turns 60. greenleft.org.au It all seems very outdated, but when it comes to Cuba, Binoy Kampmark argues United States President Joe Biden is keen to ensure that old, and lingering mistakes, retain their flavour…

WSWS (2022-02-08). BNSF railroad unions beg Biden administration to intervene against punitive new attendance policy. wsws.org The letter is an attempt to divert attention from the unions' own treachery and promote illusions in the same capitalist state, which is robbing BNSF workers of their right to strike and to free speech.

TASS (2022-02-08). Bullying won't help US succeed in talks with Iran, security chief says. tass.com "Continuing maximum pressure against Iran, current US administration has so far tried to meet the goals that Trump failed to achieve through bullying, by making unsupported promises," Ali Shamkhani pointed out…

Staff (2022-02-08). Valora Díaz-Canel necesidad de revitalizar programas sociales impulsados por Fidel (+ Video). cubadebate.cu En consonancia con una labor humanista que entraña continuidad, tuvo lugar en la tarde de este lunes, desde el Palacio de la Revolución y encabezada por el Primer Secretario del Comité Central del Partido Comunista y Presidente de la República, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, una reunión que versó sobre los programas sociales que el Comandante en Jefe Fidel Castro Ruz impulsara con particular empeño a inicios del siglo XXI.

teleSUR (2022-02-08). Mexico To Strengthen Trade & Diplomatic Relations With Honduras. telesurenglish.net On Monday, Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador (AMLO) announced his willness to strengthen economic and diplomatic cooperation with Honduras' President Xiomara Castro. | RELATED: | "Castro is a woman of ideals and principles, a social fighter who knows how to face adversities and whose government has her people's support," AMLO stated and regretted not being able to attend her swearing-in ceremony on Jan. 27. | Cas…

Staff (2022-02-08). Wave of Coups Disrupts Africa as U.S.-Trained Soldiers Play Key Role in Overthrowing Governments. democracynow.org The African Union is condemning a wave of coups in Africa, where military forces have seized power over the past 18 months in Mali, Chad, Guinea, Sudan and, most recently, in January, Burkina Faso. Several were led by U.S.-trained officers as part of a growing U.S. military presence in the region under the guise of counterterrorism, which is a new imperial influence that supplements the history of French colonialism, says Brittany Meché, assistant professor at Williams College. Some coups have been met with celebration in the streets, signaling armed revolt has become the last resort for people dissatisfied with…

WSWS (2022-02-08). The far-right occupation of Ottawa: January 6 conspiracy hits Canada. wsws.org Absent the political intervention of the working class, all possible outcomes to the current standoff in Ottawa will only produce a further lurch to the right, imperiling the most fundamental democratic and social rights of the working class.

Staff (2022-02-08). Cover-Up in Minneapolis? Police "Executed" Amir Locke in "No-Knock" Raid, Say His Parents, Activists. democracynow.org Protests are continuing in Minneapolis after police fatally shot 22-year-old Amir Locke during an early-morning "no-knock" raid on February 2. Bodycam video shows that Locke appeared to be asleep on the couch and wrapped in a blanket when a SWAT team entered the apartment. Locke held a gun he was legally licensed to carry, and was not named in the warrant. Minneapolis interim city Police Chief Amelia Huffman claimed Locke pointed his weapon in the direction of the officers, and suggested he could have been connected to crime, despite not being a suspect in their investigation. "It was very jarri…

WSWS (2022-02-08). Democratic governors in the US northeast dropping school mask mandates. wsws.org While coronavirus cases have hit record levels among children, and hospitalizations and deaths overall continue to rise, the Democrats, like the Republicans are implementing the policy of profits over lives demanded by corporate America.

Staff (2022-02-08). Hunger-Striking Teachers Say Oakland Plan to Close Schools Will Hurt Black & Brown Communities. democracynow.org We go to Oakland, where a group of teachers are on a hunger strike to protest a plan to close and merge over a dozen schools due to under-enrollment. This comes ahead of a critical school board vote Tuesday that will decide whether to proceed with the plan. Activists argue the move threatens to divert resources to charter schools and displace hundreds of Black and Brown children from their neighborhood schools. The hunger strike across multiple different schools has empowered many to speak up against longtime systemic racism, says Moses Omolade, one of the striking workers and a community schools manager at Westl…

Staff (2022-02-08). Policing on Trial: Attorney Ben Crump on Fed Case Against Three Cops Involved in George Floyd Murder. democracynow.org The Minneapolis judge who signed the no-knock warrant that led to the fatal police shooting of 22-year-old Black man Amir Locke also presided over the trial of Derek Chauvin, the ex-police officer convicted for the murder of George Floyd. The trial of three officers facing lesser charges — Tou Thao, Thomas Lane and J. Alexander Kueng — is currently underway after being delayed when one of the defendants tested positive for COVID. The trial will show the importance of accountability even from police who are bystanders to murder, says Benjamin Crump, part of the legal team for George Floyd's famil…

WSWS (2022-02-08). Columbia student workers ratify contract with cuts in real wages: The political lessons. wsws.org Throughout their struggle, Columbia University student workers confronted two hostile forces: the university administration, run by millionaires with close ties to the Democratic Party, and the United Auto Workers.

WSWS (2022-02-08). The far-right occupation of Ottawa: January 6 goes global. wsws.org Absent the political intervention of the working class, all possible outcomes to the current standoff in Ottawa will only produce a further lurch to the right, imperiling the most fundamental democratic and social rights of the working class.

In Defense of Liberation! (2022-02-08). BONUS: "The Long March: an Untold Story" by Harrison E. Salisbury- Review and Thoughts. anchor.fm In this episode I go over a book titled the long march: an untold story, by Harrison E Salisbury. I talk about things like hero worship, the great men of history theory, understanding historical materialism, and some other things about Mao, Stalin, and the Chinese revolution as well as socialist revolutions across the world.

_____ (2022-02-07). Crisis or Confusion? A Brief Guide For Black Folk On The Situation In Ukraine. popularresistance.org Within large sectors of the U.S. left, including many elements of the Black left, there is widespread confusion related to the Ukraine "crisis." Years of anti-Russia propaganda from the US and its NATO allies, and the tendency to abstract the current Ukrainian situation from its historical and geo-strategic context, have created a climate of confusion. This climate has played into the hands of state propagandists and democratic party activists eager to use the Ukraine situation to deflect attention from Biden's disastrous domestic agenda. The situation with Ukraine did not just fall out of the sky in 2021. It has…

_____ (2022-02-07). The Antiwar Movement That Wasn't Enough. popularresistance.org When I urge my writing students to juice up their stories, I tell them about "disruptive technologies," inventions and concepts that end up irrevocably changing industries. Think: iPhones, personal computers, or to reach deep into history, steamships. It's the tech version of what we used to call a paradigm shift. (President Biden likes to refer to it as an inflection point.) | Certain events function that way, too. After they occur, it's impossible to go back to how things were: World War II for one generation, the Vietnam War for another, and 9/11 for a third. Tell me it isn't hard now to remember what it was l…

_____ (2022-02-07). The Untold History Of NATO And Case For Its Abolition. popularresistance.org NATO, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, is moving ever closer to Russia's border. Russia views this as an existential threat — and a historic betrayal of key guarantees it was given by the west as the Soviet Union disintegrated. As Biden sends thousands of additional troops to Eastern Europe, the threat of war is growing by the day.

rqorinoco (2022-02-07). As Biden Continues Trump's Cruel 'Maximum Pressure' Campaign, US Media Treats Crushing Iran's Economy as Anodyne 'Diplomacy Toolkit'. orinocotribune.com A harsh sanctions regime on Iran that has killed thousands and was heavily criticized under Trump is now casual bipartisan consensus in Washington. | By Sarah Lazare — Feb 2, 2022 | In US press outlets, the Biden administration's "maximum pressure" sanctions on Iran are, by and large, not presented as a moral issue, but as a piece of leverage in a diplomatic effort to get the best possible nuclear deal with Iran. They are ethically neutral, a tool in America's tool belt, a rook in a three-dimensional game of chess, where the components and pieces are already determined. "The US sees 'snapback' sanctions thre…

sputniknews (2022-02-07). Scholz to Meet With Biden on Monday Amid Tensions Over Ukraine, Nord Stream 2. sputniknews.com MOSCOW (Sputnik) – German Chancellor Olaf Scholz is about to be hosted by US President Joe Biden in Washington on Monday as the two countries need to figure out a way to address the ongoing crisis surrounding Ukraine, which will please the United States and also accommodate German energy interests, specifically the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline.

Staff (2022-02-07). Headlines for February 7, 2022. democracynow.org Macron Meets with Putin, Scholz with Biden, Amid Ongoing Tensions over Ukraine, U.S. Tops 900,000 COVID Deaths; New Jersey Lifts School Mask Mandate, Turkish President Erdogan and Honduran President Castro Test Positive for COVID-19, Ottawa Declares Emergency as Trucker-Led Anti-Government Protests Spread, Family Demands Justice for Amir Locke, Killed in Minneapolis Police No-Knock Raid, Mexico Raids Tijuana Camp Home to Hundreds of Asylum Seekers Denied U.S. Entry, Iran Talks Show Some Signs of Progress After U.S. Agrees to Waive Certain Sanctions, Tens of Thousands Displaced as Cyclone Batsirai Batters Madagasc…

Peoples Dispatch (2022-02-07). Iran says US sanctions waiver not enough, demands lifting of all sanctions. peoplesdispatch.org On Friday, the US administration of Joe Biden had announced the restoration of the sanctions waiver which was withdrawn by the previous Donald Trump administration in May 2020 under its so-called Maximum pressure campaign against Iran…

_____ (2022-02-07). Turmoil Will Continue Until a Modified Global Order Emerges. strategic-culture.org Ukraine has morphed — unexpectedly — from the Washington perspective from an 'useful distraction' to becoming Biden's dilemma. | "What will we do if the West does not listen to reason?", noted Sergei Lavrov. "Well, the President of Russia has already said 'what' [it will do]". "If our attempts to come to terms on mutually acceptable principles of ensuring security in Europe fail to produce the desired result, we will take response measures. Asked directly what these measures might be, he [Putin] said: they could come in all shapes and sizes". Russia had previously announced that absent a satisfactory…

WSWS (2022-02-07). US combat troops arrive in Eastern Europe as Washington steps up war hysteria. wsws.org Biden National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan made several television appearances Sunday to warn, without evidence, that Russia could invade Ukraine "at any moment."

_____ (2022-02-07). America is Crumbling along with the American Dream. journal-neo.org In recent days, the Western media has published several highly symbolic articles on the future of the US. First of all, it is perhaps worth noting a report by The Hill on how, hours before President Joe Biden's visit to Pittsburgh, a bridge collapsed in that city. The event clearly foreshadows not so much the …

Dave DeCamp (2022-02-07). Bennett Says Biden Supports Israel's 'Freedom of Action' Against Iran. news.antiwar.com Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Monday that President Biden The two leaders spoke by phone on Sunday. According to a White House readout of the call, Biden "conveyed his unwavering support for Israel's security and freedom of action," without tying it directly to Iran. | "I made clear, and I was happy that he made it explicitly clear, that Israel will maintain its freedom of ac…

Jason Ditz (2022-02-07). CENTCOM Looks to Build on US Military Guarantees to United Arab Emirates. news.antiwar.com Gen. Kennetth McKenzie, the head of US Central Command (CENTCOM) is headed to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) This comes just days after the US sent the USS Cole and several fighter jets to the UAE. Gen. McKenzie says he wants them to know the US is a "reliable partner" committed to defending the nation. | President Biden had previously said he wanted to get out of the Yemen War, but as escalations of the war have led to strikes again…

Carlos Fazio (2022-02-07). Biden/Ucrania: øLa cola meneando al perro? globalizacion.ca Por motivos internos y externos, la administración Biden y el Estado profundo que controla Estados Unidos necesitan fabricar otra guerra caliente. De allí que desde hace un año la maquinaria mediática del establishment y sus socios subordinados de la OTAN…

Mark Gruenberg (2022-02-07). Poor People's Campaign: Pass Build Back Better and protect voting rights. peoplesworld.org CHARLESTON, W. Va.—The closer the midterm election looms, the sharper the words to Congress from the Poor People's Campaign, both for passing the Build Back Better bill and for defending democracy against white nationalism and the radical right. The warnings came from campaign members—the rank and file, if you will—from New York and West Virginia …

teleSUR (2022-02-07). Costa Rica: Second Round To Define the New President. telesurenglish.net According to preliminary results of general elections, released on Sunday, the former President Jose Maria Figueres of the National Liberation Party and its counterpart from the Social Democratic Party, Rodrigo Chaves, went to a runoff in Costa Rica Presidential elections. | RELATED: | The Supreme Electoral Court (TSE) reported that from the 6,847 voting centers throughout the country, 79.96 percent were counted, which place…

Alec Dubro (2022-02-07). A Wounded But Still Dangerous Burmese Python. fpif.org The Tatmadaw (military) in Myanmar has been in power for one year after seizing power following a contested election. They aspire to maintain complete control over the country but face considerable challenges from both inside and outside. | One thing a military dictatorship is supposed to do is dictate. But the people of Myanmar seem not to have gotten the memo: The one-year grip of the junta's nominal leader Senior Gen. Min Aung Hlaing is indeed brutal, but his control over the multi-ethnic country has been loose and continues to slip. | People are organizing, demonstrating, and even arming themselves and engagi…

_____ (2022-02-07). A Chronicle of the Pre-election Race in ROK: Lee Jae-myung's Entanglements. journal-neo.org With just a month or so until the presidential elections in South Korea, this bulletin in our series of "dispatches from the front" focuses on Lee Jae-myung, the candidate from the ruling Democratic Party. The partnership with Lee Nak-yon, and the changing of the guard at the electoral committee In order to avoid being associated …

Anonymous103 (2022-02-07). Military And Political Situation In Iraq On February 7, 2022 (Map Update). southfront.org Click to see full-size image | On February 6, one PMU member was killed and four others were injured in an ISIS attack in Diyala province; | On February 6, Iraqi National Security Service in Nineveh arrested a terrorist cell of 3 ISIS members working in logistical support; | On February 7, Iraqi parliament indefinitely postponed the scheduled election of the national president after only 58 of the 329 lawmakers showed up; | The Foreign Ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iraq have discussed the reasons…

WSWS (2022-02-07). Portugal's Socialist Party wins legislative election as Left Bloc collapses. wsws.org The Left Bloc and the Portuguese Communist Party are deeply discredited after years of openly supporting the right-wing policies of the Socialist Party (PS) government.

Editor (2022-02-07). Election year in France: Some background notes. mronline.org The French presidential election looks to once more see a run-off between Emmanuel Macron and Marine Le Pen. Can the Left break through? And what is the threat of Eric Zemmour?>

WSWS (2022-02-07). Pennsylvania Governor Wolf raises minimum wage for state employees, calls for a $15 statewide minimum. wsws.org Facing reelection in the fall, Wolf has called on the Republican-dominated state legislature to raise the state's minimum wage to $15 per hour. There is little prospect the proposal will go into effect.

Antonio C.S. Rosa (2022-02-07). The Problematics of Middle Eastern Diplomacy: The Case of Iran. transcend.org 2 Feb 2022 – In relation to both Iran, Israel, and Palestine, the essential message sent by the new leadership is continuity when it comes to substance combined with a resumption of the pre-Trump pretension of equi-distance diplomacy when it comes to the search for a sustainable peace.

Sharon Zhang (2022-02-07). Trump Took Letters From Kim Jong Un, Other Official Correspondence to Mar-A-Lago. truthout.org Last month, the National Archives and Records Administration had to retrieve multiple boxes from Donald Trump's Mar-a-Lago property after the former president brought official correspondence and other items that were supposed to be turned over to the agency to his personal residence. | As first reported

Healthcare-NOW (2022-02-07). Saturday 4/2: #M4A: 2022 Medicare For All Virtual Strategy Conference (Day 1). indybay.org Virtual conference – join online…

Healthcare-NOW (2022-02-07). Sunday 4/3: #M4A: 2022 Medicare For All Virtual Strategy Conference (Day 2). indybay.org Virtual conference – join online…

Jake Johnson (2022-02-07). Momentum Is Growing to Ban Congress Members From Trading Stocks. truthout.org The momentum behind a widely popular effort to ban stock trading by members of Congress is growing, with Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer reportedly instructing fellow Democrats to unite behind a specific legislative proposal. | "After weeks of silence, Senate Democratic leaders have asked lawmakers to propose improvements on rules governing congressional stock trading," Insider

_____ (2022-02-07). Putting Technology (And Billionaires) In Its Place. popularresistance.org In the International Forum on Globalization, I worked with forty writers, journalists, academics and social and environmental leaders from around the world to inform the public about the ways in which "free-trade" treaties, the principal drivers of globalization, have eroded democracy, destroyed livelihoods, and accelerated resource extraction. In countries as disparate as Sweden and India, I have seen how globalization intensifies competition for jobs and resources, leading to dramatic social breakdown — including not only ethnic and religious conflict, but also depression, alcoholism and suicide.

Isheka N. Harrison (2022-02-07). More Symbolism: Black America Calls Top Democrat Clyburn 'Useless' After Championing New Bill About Song To Unify America. moguldom.com U.S. House Majority Whip Rep. Jim Clyburn is under fire again as some members of Black America are unhappy with his stance that a song will unify America. Some have deemed Clyburn's HR 301 bill — which proposes that the U.S. make "Lift Every Voice and Sing" its national hymn — as more empty symbolism. …

Mark Gruenberg (2022-02-07). Does the capitalist class support democracy? peoplesworld.org Does the capitalist class support democracy? Or are they more comfortable cashing in thanks to tyrants? Two observations prompted this line of thought. One, familiar to every worker, is that the honchos of the world—and not just in the U.S.—routinely repress their employees. They need government approval or, at worst, indifference, to get away with …

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